Separate Worlds : Like of Heart and Mind
by princessofthepearl2121
Summary: Severitus fic. Harry has to go home for 3rd year holidays and unfortunately Snape gets stuck with the task of taking him home. What happens next?Will enemies put their differences behind them and realize they're really not so different after all
1. Chapter 1

It was a chilly evening and there was turmoil at Hogwarts. A young boy was in the headmaster's office.

"Please, sir, there has to be somewhere else I can stay." A third-year Harry Potter said to the old headmaster, Albus Dumbledore.

"Harry, I am afraid the only option is your relatives' house with Sirius Black still free." Dumbledore said gravely.

"Yes, sir. I suppose I'll catch the train with everyone else?" Harry asked sadly.

"You will enjoy Christmas with them and I have arranged for you to go with a professor. There is the danger of taking the train."

"Yes, sir, I'll go pack." Harry said, looking down.

As he exited the headmaster's office he ran straight into the last person he had wanted to see that very moment, his potion's master, Severus Snape.

"Potter, look where you are going for Merlin's sake! Five points from Gryffindor now get out of my sight!" Snape snarled, making his way up to Dumbledore's office.

Harry wasted no time in running back to his common room. He thought everyone had gone to sleep, but found his best friend, Ronald Weasley, still up.

"Hey, Ron." Harry said grimly.

"Bad news?" Ron asked at the expression on Harry's face.

"I get to go back to the Dursley's for Christmas."

"You can always count on us to break you out like second year."

"I'm going to bed, night Ron."

"'Night Harry." Ron said, sliding into bed, wondering what was wrong with his best friend.

The next day Harry woke up early and started packing his stuff slowly to make time pass. He got to the point where he couldn't procrastinate anymore and finally just threw everything into his trunk and said goodbye to his friends.

Harry watched sadly as his friends boarded the Hogwarts Express and he waved goodbye to all of them. Once they were gone, Harry went back inside the castle and up to his dormitory.

"Ah, Harry, there you are. Come, come, my boy, your escort is waiting for you in your common room." Dumbledore said, guiding Harry towards the tower.

Harry was silent all the way and stiffly bid Dumbledore goodbye when he was left alone in his common room.

"Potter, get your trunk and get down here immediately!" Harry heard his least favorite teacher say.

Wanting to waste no time, Harry dashed upstairs without throwing a glance at Snape. After dragging his trunk halfway down the stairs with much difficulty, Harry gave up and used a levitation charm on it.

What waited for him, however, was not what he had expected. Snape had taken off the voluminous robes he always wore in class and was wearing muggle clothes. He was wearing a muggle t-shirt, jeans, and leather boots with a leather jacket to top it all off, everything black. His hair which normally hung lank in his face was neatly pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

"Are you going to stand there gaping like a fish, Potter?" Snape asked him cruelly.

"Sorry, sir." Harry said, picking his trunk up again.

"You are a wizard, Potter, levitate your trunk to the station, it should be no trouble considering the stunts you've pulled these past years." He sneered at Harry.

Harry levitated his trunk and let it hover in front of him as he followed his least favorite teacher.

"Potter, we are going to do something called Side-Along Apparition, it is a preferred method of travel for adult wizards. _Reducio."_ He incanted, shrinking the boy's trunk and pocketing it.

Severus held the boy's shoulder, but felt him pull away abruptly.

"Have it your way then, Potter." Severus said, only holding on to the boy's arm as he Apparated them both to muggle London.

Harry wanted to scream, to do anything, he felt as if he was being squeezed through a tube. It ended after a few seconds and Harry felt himself on the ground about to sick up.

"That, Potter, is why I pulled you against me. So that I would absorb the shock of Apparition. Take this," he said, handing Harry a potion vial, "Stomach Calming Draught, we will be Apparating again to Surrey after a quick lunch."

"Lunch?" Harry asked, confused as to why his most hated teacher was going to take him out for lunch.

"Yes, lunch, Potter! I assure you it was the headmaster's idea entirely." Severus snarled, all patience with the boy lost.

"Where are we going, sir?" Harry asked, trying to start a conversation.

"I haven't been in muggle culture for awhile, but I am sure you could stand to eat at a fast food restaurant for once like everyone else. It is supposed to be very popular for your age group." Severus said, letting his cruel mask slip for a few moments.

Harry's eyes lit up at the idea of going to eat somewhere popular. _'Maybe it'll be that place where Dudley got the toys from.'_ Harry thought, following Snape excitedly.

Severus noticed how the boy was acting excited, but dismissed it immediately as Potter having wanted to go since term had started.

When they got to the place, Mc Donald's, Harry was already looking up and down the Menu. Severus looked it over and sneered at most of the choices. He finally decided on getting the Southwestern style chicken sandwich with the best soda they had and no dessert.

"Potter, what are you ordering?" Severus asked, trying to be civil.

"Um…"

"For Merlin's sake boy, just get whatever, I have enough muggle money to buy the whole Menu, if you so wish!" Severus hissed at the boy, who was worrying his lip with his two front teeth.

"A Happy Meal with Cola and ice cream." Harry said, looking up at Severus.

"Go get a booth before this place ends up being even more crowded." Severus ordered the boy.

"Yes, sir." Harry said, walking over to one near a window so he could look outside while he ate.

After he paid, Severus took the tray over to Harry who was looking out the window, watching all the commotion of the city.

"Potter, eat." Severus said, taking a bite of his own food.

Harry obediently began to eat and when he was halfway finished with his burger he said,

"This is really good."

"It is…adequate. You act as if you've never been here before." He added, conversationally.

"This is my first time." Harry whispered.

"Yours and mine both, Potter." Severus said under his breath, not meaning for Harry to hear it.

'_Potter hasn't been here before? The most popular place for children. I was dirt poor, but the boy is well-off middle class. It would have been heaven to be able to eat here instead of with my drunken father.' _Severus thought, scowling at the memory of his father.

"If you're done, Potter, we might as well leave."

"I'm not sure if I can do that Appadition again." Harry said, clutching his stomach.

"It's Apparition, and you would have no problem with it if you simply followed my instructions."

Harry glared at Snape and followed him into a dark alley.

"Hold on this time, Potter." Severus said, putting an arm around the boy and holding him close.

Harry braced himself for the unpleasant experience again, but he merely felt half the effects of before. Snape let go of him abruptly when they were on solid ground again and he walked quickly towards Privet Drive, Harry nearly running to catch up to him.

_A/N:_

_This will be a Snape adopts Harry story for sure. The next chapter will include Severus meeting Vernon and __**that **__will most certainly be interesting._

_Read and Review!!! _


	2. Chapter 2

They walked up to Number Four and Severus knocked rather loudly and impatiently. A very obeast Dudley came to the door and gasped when he saw them.

"Um…can I h-help you s-sir?" Dudley asked, cowering under Snape's dark gaze.

"I am here to bring Mr. Potter back home for the holidays." Severus said, his instincts screaming at him to take the boy back with him.

"I-I'll get my d-dad." Dudley said before yelling, "Dad!"

"Yes, Dudley?" Vernon said, taking in the wizard standing in the doorway with his nephew.

"I am here, Mr. Dursley, to deliver your nephew to you. Dumbledore asked that all students be evacuated from the castle in light of recent events." Severus said, eyeing the muggle with distaste.

"Yes, well, come in." Vernon said reluctantly. "Go put your things in your room." Vernon said to Harry, managing not to glare too fiercely.

"Hold on, Potter, I will unshrink it for you." Severus said, retrieving the trunk from his coat pocket and muttering _'engorgio' _to bring it back to normal size.

"Thank you, sir." Harry said, dragging it up the stairs and to his room.

"Sit down, Mr…?" Vernon trailed off.

"Professor Snape."

"What do you teach at that school?" Vernon asked, sitting down and offering Severus a drink which he politely refused.

"Potions."

"The boy's talked about you."

"Yes, I can imagine. Albus sent me here with other reasons than just to take the boy out for lunch and back here."

"You work for Bumblefore, don't you?"

"Albus Dumbledore, yes. He has suspected mistreatment and neglect since Potter arrived in September."

"No! No, I assure you Harry is very well cared for here. We would never dream of harming or neglecting him."

"I will be picking him up January 3rd. If I do find any reason to suspect any mistreatment I will make sure you regret it, Dursley. You will find I do not take kindly to child abuse." Severus said, glaring at Vernon.

"Yes, well…he will be fine here, I assure you, Professor." Vernon said, smiling at Severus.

"See to it that he is, Dursley." Severus glared one last time before Disapparating on the spot.

"Boy!" Vernon yelled, his face turning puce.

"Yes, sir?" Harry asked, coming down in a Weasley jumper and school trousers and shoes.

"You dare come back after what you did to Marge!? You dare to bring a bloody freak with you!?" Vernon yelled, closing in on Harry.

"Sir, I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do what I did to Marge! It's accidental magic."

"Don't say that word in my house!" Vernon said, slapping Harry across the face.

"I'm sorry." Harry whispered, shocked that he had been so openly slapped.

"Stay in your room, ruddy freak. I'll show you your place in this house once and for all." Vernon said with a maniacal grin.

*********************************************

By January 3rd, Harry was wishing for Snape to get back and fast. He had been whipped raw every day for the last month and had to hide the scars and welts. Harry wondered for a moment if Snape was the one coming for him.

Harry couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts where he could use the Marauder's Map and his invisibility cloak to sneak into Snape's potion stores and nick a few painkilling potions as well as some fever reducers and the like.

By eleven, Harry was fully dressed and waiting with his trunk on the sidewalk. He was glad he had left Hedwig in the Owlrey. Who knows what Uncle Vernon might have done to her, had she come.

Harry was startled out of these thoughts by a rough blow to his shoulder.

"Look, it's wee Potter." Dudley's friend Piers said cruelly.

"Get away from me, Piers." Harry said, picking himself up.

"Why should I?"

"My teacher is coming to pick me up, don't want to meet him." Harry said, thanking the gods that his relatives had said he went to a criminal school.

"Potter! What are you doing out here?" Snape asked him in a dangerous tone.

"I…um…was…waiting. I wanted to wait outside rather than inside." Harry said lamely.

"Come, Potter." Snape said, waving a hand for him to follow.

Harry nearly ran to match his teacher's long strides and when they were in a somewhat abandoned place he Apparated them again, pulling Harry close to absorb the shock.

After going to Mc Donald's once more, Harry was Apparated back to Hogwarts, wincing from impact. He was about to go back to his common room when his teacher called for him to follow him.

Puzzled, Harry followed his teacher down to the dungeons which was mostly Slytherin territory. He was led to an area not far from the Slytherins' common room and he was sure he looked confused when Snape started muttering a complicated password to a portrait of an old man, whom Harry guessed to be Salazaar Slytherin.

"Potter, get inside." Severus hissed at him.

"Sir, where are we?" Harry asked, completely puzzled.

The room was tastefully done in blues and greens with a black leather couch that had a navy blue afghan thrown over it.

"Sit, Potter." Snape said, ignoring his first question.

"Sir?" Harry asked, completely confused.

Severus withdrew his wand and started running a scan on the boy who was still looking confused. The scan showed:

_Numerous Welts_

_Whip marks_

_Cuts_

_Belt Marks_

_Severe Malnutrition_

_Neglect Signs_

Severus frowned even more deeply and scowled.

"Potter, have you ever been abused or neglected by your relatives?"

"No! It-they're not like that, honestly. Sometimes my cousin accidentally pushed me but that's it! What would you know about that anyways? Why do you even care?" Harry asked, scowling at Snape.

"I know more about child abuse than anyone else because I was abused by my muggle father. That, foolish child, is what led me to the Dark Lord! Furthermore, you cannot possibly believe I would want any other child to suffer, I am not that cruel, Harry." Severus raged, surprising even himself at calling the boy Harry.

"They aren't abusing me." Harry said, staring defiantly at Severus.

"Then explain this." Severus said, handing the parchment with Harry's injuries on it to him.


End file.
